Providing children across the country with access to the protein they need

Everyone deserves access to high-quality protein sources and, more importantly, access to the protein sources that work for their dietary and health needs. Companies across Canada’s agrifood sector work in a variety of ways to make that happen; for Catalyst Development, it means partnering providing children across the country with balanced-protein drink pouches.

Currently, Catalyst’s pouches, distributed under their Gnubees brand to customers across the country, feature whey protein. Because the company has been seeing a rising demand for alternative protein sources, leading a Protein Industries Canada project with Burcon Nutrascience and Puratos they are able to develop a plant-based protein formulation to extend their line. The addition of a plant-based protein drink pouch would help meet the needs of more children across Canada, particularly those with dairy intolerances or allergies.

“We had been on an R&D hunt for several years to find a high-quality protein that is stable in our formulation and that's ethically and environmentally sourced. So that's how we came to find Burcon and hear about this project,” Chief Strategy & Ideation Officer of Catalyst Development Autumn Kendrick said. “When it came to keeping the project going and stepping up to lead, the importance of this protein entering the market and being a part of our product was so key that it wasn't any question but to step up and take the lead.”

Burcon’s canola protein meets the specifications of what Catalyst needs to offer an alternative to whey protein and meet the requirements for children’s nutrition. Kendrick highlighted the protein’s PDCAAs score, its ethical sourcing and its sustainability, alongside its formulation potential.

She expects the combination will help not only provide an alternative protein source to their customers but also help the company itself grow into new markets.

“We see a lot of people wanting to step away from the animal proteins into plant proteins, and that's true both from within our own products and sales, but also our co-packing capabilities. By bringing this understanding into our repertoire, we'll be able to better serve other growing brands as well as our own brands,” Kendrick explained.

As Catalyst’s work to develop a new plant-based drink pouch advances, their customers, including their outreach work with After the Bell program for the Food Banks Canada, can look forward to a new source of protein that meets their dietary needs.